Smoke-preventing attachment for furnaces



(No Model.)

A. J. CLIFF.

SMOKE PREVENTING ATTAOHMENT FOR FURNACES.

No. 488,839. Patented 001:.21, 1890.

UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFIC ARTHUR J. CLIFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SMOKE-PREVENTING ATTACHMENT FOR FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,839, dated, October21, 1890.

Application filed June 11, 1890- Serial No. 355,070- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. CLIFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvementin Smoke-Preventing Attachments forFurnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of apparatus forinjecting air and steam upon the fuel in the fire-chamber of a furnaceto prevent, orat least materially reduce, the generation of smoke byinducing more thorough combustion of the fuel.

The objects of my improvement are to provide a generally-improvedconstruction of apparatus of the class referred to, vto so apply it toor combine it with a furnace as to render it practically as durable asthe furnace itself by maintaining it out of contact with the flame, andthus protecting it against burning out, and, furthermore, to providemeans for permitting ready regulation of the proper proportion of steamand air to be admitted to the combustion-chamber for a given quantity ofthe fuel (coal) supplied thereto.

My invention consists in the general construction of my improvedapparatus, and it also consists in details of construction andcombinations of parts, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in broken end elevationof a furnace surmounted by a steam-boiler and provided with my improvedapparatus, shown in part by dotted lines; Fig. .2, a section taken atthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows; andFig. 3, a view in elevation, regarded from the right-hand side of Fig.1, of my improved means for regulating the supply of air and steam.

A denotesa furnace-wall of any desired or usual construction, and B is asteam-boiler surmounting it. In the front wall C of the fire orcombustion chamber C, directly above the feed-passages 0", provided withdoors q, I provide a channel 19, of about the length of the width of thefire-chamber and extending parallel with the front side thereof, andfrom the channel 19 extend at intervals and at right angles to thechannel branch channels 19.

D is a pipe for air, fitting inside the .channel p and extending througha wall, (preferably the front wall, as shown,) where it should flareinto the funnel shape illustrated at n. Branches D extend at intervalsfrom 'the pipe D through the respective branch channels 1), v

reaching to the inner surface of the front Wall C of the fire-chamber,where they are provided with perforated ends m.

E is a steam-pipe, which leads from the dome B of the boiler B, andwhich enters the air-pipe D through its funnel-shaped outer end '12, andextends lengthwise through it, being provided at intervals correspondingwith those at which the branches D of the pipeD are provided withbranches E, extending into the branches D, but short of the innerextremities of the latter, whereby between the end of each branch D andits contained branch E, which is provided with a finelyperforated bulbor head I, a mixing-chamber for the air and steam before they enterthefire-chamber C is provided.

On the flaring outer end of the air-pipe D, I provide a hinged lid orvalve F, and in the steam-pipe E,above such flaring end,is avalve G forcontrolling the flow of steam, and provided with a pulley '5 on its stemh. A rope, chain, or the like g is secured at one end to the hinged lidF, passes thence over the pulley 2', and has secured to its opposite enda weight f to counterbalance the lid. Ahandle e is secured to the outerend of the stem 72, and is extended into an index-finger d,pointing to agage c, on which is marked a scale in, say, hundred pounds.

The arrangement of the scale, hinged lid, and valves Fand G is such thatwhen the two said valves are closed the index-finger points to zero, andthat when it points to any desired number on the scale indicating thenumber of pounds of fuel fed at any one time to the fire, the turning ofthe finger to such indication, by manipulating the handle e,will openthe valves G and F accordingly-that is, to permit the admission of theproportionate quantities of steam and air for the amount of coal so fedto produce complete combustion of the latter, and thus prevent thegeneration of smoke.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved apparatuswill have been understood to be produced by opening the air and steamvalves. This admits steam under pressure into the pipe E inside theair-pipe D, whence it is diffused through the branches E, emerging fromthe perforated bulbs Z thereon into the mixing-chambers 70, into whichit draws air through the pipe D and its branches D, mixing with andheating the air and forcing the mixture in diffused currents upon theburning fuel in the fire-chamber.

The generation of smoke by the burning fuel in the fire-chamber is veryprofuse before my improved apparatus is operated; but the effect onopening the air and steam valves, and which effectis instantaneous, isto induce such complete combustion of the fuel as to prevent thegeneration of any smoke, or at least of any visible smoke, in thefire-chamber, and obviously, also, produce material saving in fuel.

The embedding of the apparatus in the front wall of the furnace soeffectually shields it from access of the flame of the burning fuel thatno such injury ensues to the apparatus as by burning out, the heat whichcomes into contact with it being prevented from Working any injury bythe resisting cooling effect on the parts of the cool air introducedthrough the pipe D and its branches. Furthermore, the apparatus exertsno injurious effect on the boiler or boiler-setting, since suflicientcold air is mixed with the steam to temper the latter and modify itsheat before it is introduced.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination, a furnace A, having a channel 1) formed in the frontwall 0 of its fire-chamber C and provided atintervals with branches p,leading into the fire-chamber, an air-pipe D in the channel 19, andhaving branches D extending into the branches 1) and provided at itsouter end with an adjustable cover F, a steam-pipe E, extendinglengthwise inside the air-pipe and having branches E leading into thebranches D, but shorter than the latter, and thereby formingmixingehambers 70 between the extremities of the respective branches, avalve G in the steampipe, and a handle I, for turning the said valve,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, a furnace A, having a channel 19 formed in the frontwall 0 of its fire-chamber O and provided at intervals with branches 1),leading into the fire-chamber, an air pipe D in the channel 1), andhaving branches D extending into the branches 7) and provided atitsouter end with an adj ustable cover F, a steam-pipe E, extendinglengthwise inside the air-pipe and having branches E leading into thebranches D, but shorter than the latter, and thereby formingmixingchambers 7t between the extremities of the respective branches, avalve G in the steampipe, having a pulley i on its stem, connected withthe cover F by a Weighted rope gor the like, a handle Z on the saidvalve-stem, provided with an index-finger d, and a scale a, supportedadjacent to the said index-finger, the whole being constructed andarranged to operate substantially as described.

ARTHUR J. CLIFF. In presence of- DOUGLAS DYRENFORTH, M. J. Fnos'r.

